American Bred Episode 11: When the Sky Falls In
by American Companion
Summary: The Rahki have decided Katie has spent enough time alone and have come to take her back. But the Scorch Project does not come to an end without others hearing about it...
1. Chapter 1

At UNIT Headquarters, Gregory Bradsford was doing his best to seem in control of what he had to do, though if he had been pressed about it, he would have admitted the challenge. Yes, he was trained to translate and act as an ambassador between potential invaders and the Earth, but he'd never actually had to do it. It had happened a few times while he'd been on base, but someone more experienced had always been there instead. All he'd ever had to do was watch.

"One minute till the scheduled call," one of the multiple soldiers/technological professionals said. Gregory smoothed out his suit and cleared his throat, taking another quick sip of water.

"You're certain you can do this?" Colonel Alan Mace said from the side. His exacting, military viewpoint of everything made Gregory nervous, though he would never admit it. Just his luck this would happen the day before Colonel Mace got transferred to Vancouver.

"Yes sir," Gregory said with a nod.

"Signal transmitting," a soldier said. "On screen in five…four…three…two…"

The large screen on the wall flickered, showing a picture of a rather proud looking male. His skin was a pale purple color and he had spots going from his temples running down his neck to disappear into his high collar.

"Are you authorized to speak for UNIT?" the man asked in a mid-range voice. Gregory nodded.

"I am Gregory Williams of Earth. I have that authority. On behalf of the human race I wish to extend peace to the Rahki race."

"We didn't come to take over or open trade. We have only arrived to retrieve what is ours."

"This item that you claim to own…what is it?"

"It is…an experiment, a thing that we have been working on for millennia. It was taken from us and deposited on your planet. We have no wish to harm Sol Three, only to take back what is ours."

_This might actually be easy. _"If we have anything that belongs to you, let us know what it is so that it may be returned."

"The signal it was broadcasting was interrupted by technology foreign to your time. This led us to believe you specifically are hiding it. Return Scorch to us or we will be forced to take stronger measures."

_Of course._ "To my knowledge, we have nothing from other worlds hidden. We have received nothing from space in several years, and nothing with the title of 'Scorch.' Perhaps we could assist—"

"You have it, and it will be returned to us!" the Rahki hissed. His eyelids closed sideways in a blink before he continued, his voice carrying a slightly forced calm. "It is possible you do not know what you have. Understandable considering your…lower existence. If Scorch is not tended to in the proper way, all hell—as you humans term it—will break loose."

Before Gregory could respond, there was a flash of light from the area of the room that would be off screen. He couldn't help turning to look and saw a girl, somewhere in her late teens and with flowing red hair, standing in the room. She looked around and smiled.

"Oh good, my aim's getting better," she said in a…Southern American? accent. She turned to Colonel Mace next to her and looked him up and down before pointing at his head. "Nice hat. Mind if I borrow it?"

Before the Colonel could respond, she snatched his cap and put it on her own head before striding into the center of the room where all, including the Rahki could see her.

"Get her out!" Colonel Mace hissed at two of his men. The girl simply twirled in a circle.

"Yes, shout threats and point guns if you want," the girl said, sounding as if it was a mild inconvenience that she had been expecting. "I'm used to it."

"What is this?" the Rahki said, sounding vaguely insulted. The girl turned sternly and pointed at the screen.

"You just hold a second, Sonny Jim. I'll get to you when I'm good and ready." She whirled back towards the soldiers and Gregory, smiling like she held a great secret.

"Right now, you're all wondering who I am. I've got lots and lots of names. Gina Alexis, Kavrin, Kathryn Trouble Moore, Katie, Kat, Josephine Cole, Lady with the Red Hair, Translator, Mad Woman, Strange Creature, Freak in the Basement, and loads of others. Even had the name Gertrude Agatha for a few years. Never did like those aunts. However, you all know me best…" she whisked off Colonel Mace's cap with a flourish as she bowed.

"As Scorch."

The entire room fell silent. Scorch tossed the cap to Colonel Mace.

"You can have that back now," she said flippantly. With a few bounds, she made it to the desk Gregory was behind, turned around and sat on it. Pulling a pencil out of a cup, she crossed one leg over the other and pointed the pencil at the screen.

"_Now_ I'm good and ready."

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	2. Chapter 2

The Rahki on the screen blinked a few times before turning sharply to the side. "Scan that place and find her signal now."

"Oh, push buttons all you want; you won't find me." Scorch held her left arm up. There was a wide, brown strap on it with a flap covering something. "Wrist-worn vortex manipulators," she proclaimed as she tucked the pencil behind her ear. "They do a lot more than manipulate a vortex. They tell the time, check your blood pressure, pick up seventeen different radio stations, and as an added bonus you can even program one to can scramble a signal!" Scorch raised her eyebrows and smiled cockily. "And as you know, I can mess with computer programming like nobody's business."

She looked over at Colonel Mace. "That reminds me; you really need to work on your fire wall. And maybe your security. Not hard to get into this place. Well, for me anyway."

Scorch turned back to the screen. "Am I addressing the secretary or the President?" She glanced away. "No, hang on. Secretary or the Queen? No, wait, she's a figure head. Secretary or the Prime Minister? You know what? Screw that; I'm not British. Secretary or the President?"

The Rahki seemed confused, whether by Scorch's blatant disrespect of him or her recent spiel, Gregory didn't know. He had to confess that she seemed to be far better suited for this task than he was. Secretly, he was thankful that she had shown up.

"Come on!" Scorch said, jumping from the desk and flinging her arms open in irritation. "I didn't come all this way to talk to a flunky! I want to see the Head Honcho, the Big Cheese, the Top Sombrero. You bring in whatever you body swappers call a leader or I ain't dealing."

Scorch leaned back on the desk, using her elbows as support. The Rahki on screen glared at Scorch for a few moments before sighing in irritation and standing up, effectively disappearing from the screen. Scorch tilted her head back around and smiled at Gregory. He wondered for a moment if it was possible to fall in love with a mad woman. "Hi. Could you be a perfectly marvelous dear and get me a coffee? Black, hot, strong as you can get it. Oh, and don't forget the arsenic."

"Arsenic?" he asked, wondering just how mad she was. Scorch rolled her eyes.

"Alright then, drop a uranium pellet in the cup for me to swallow. I need to take the edge off."

Colonel Mace walked quickly up to her, keeping his voice somewhat down. "What exactly do you mean by coming in here and—"

"I'd love to chat and explain everything," Scorch said, cutting him off, "but that's going to have to wait until I've talked with the Rahki and gotten your planet some breathing room."

"This is—"

"A good time for you to shut up? I agree. Now move before he/she/it gets back."

Colonel Mace stared at Scorch, completely gob stopped by her flagrant disrespect for command or system. She turned back to the screen just as another similar looking Rahki stepped into view. However, his hair was cropped very short, dyed white, and he had white eye makeup on that only made his pale blue eyes even lighter. Gregory wondered if these people had something against color.

"Scorch. How good to see that you've developed."

"Oh, growing up is natural, no great accomplishment there. What's your name? Not that I really care, but these good humans will need it for their records when we're done here."

"Assavapisitkul, Dictator of the Rahki."

Scorch winced. "Assavapisitkul? What did you do to deserve a name like that? You know what, just because I'm feeling nice, I'm going to call you Phil. So Phil, I know exactly what you want and I've worked out most of the why. Therefore, my question is this: what happens to Earth if I refuse?"

"Your planet will go up in flames."

Scorch thought for a moment. "You're going to kill us with global warming?" Her voice carried just a hint of mockery.

Assavapisitkul seemed irritated. "No. You are doing that quite well yourselves."

"Ah, now you see that's where you're wrong," Scorch said, pulling the pencil from behind her ear and starting to use it like a teacher lecturing a class. "You know very well I'm not really from here—though I am quite attached to this planet—and you also know that this planet does not in fact choke on the greenhouse gases. Takes a few centuries and a major oil crises, but they pull through. So whatever you have planned out in that silly little box you call a ship, I'm letting you know it's not going to work very well because I have no plans of leaving. Like I said, I'm rather attached to this planet, and last time I ran into one of you funny-not-green men, I was told you were planning to use me to end the known universe. And I like the universe, so give me another sales pitch."

There was a small beep and Scorch looked at the wristband she wore, flipping back the flap. Her face broke into a grin. "Oh talk about timing."

"Colonel Mace," one of the soldiers in front of computer screens said, "There's a second ship in orbit. It seems to have origins different from the Rahki." The woman paused. "Sir, they're signaling."

"Let it through!" Scorch called out. "Smack 'em up next to the Rahki. They can share a screen."

The woman glanced between Colonel Mace and Scorch. The Colonel gave a grudging nod and the soldier pushed a few keys in front of her. The screen instantly split in two, the right side still holding a picture of the Rahki leader, but now the left side held a frame of a man that bore a distinct, though light, reptilian look. There was a large, circular scar at the center of his neck. Scorch gave him a quick nod.

"Julius! How are things back on the Krize home world?"

"My name is General Karzon Kilno, Scorch," he said in a rough voice, bearing further evidence of a damaged throat. "I would be addressed as such."

"You have to earn your rank, Brigadier," Scorch said, the title obviously an insult that she knew the man on the screen would understand. "So, what's your offer?"

"My what?"

"Your offer. Phil here says he's going to burn the planet if I don't go to his ship. I want to know if you have a better choice."

"Your planet will survive if you turn yourself over to us."

"You make me sound like a convicted criminal!" Scorch protested. "Very rude of you. And what if I say I want to stay here and I don't want to 'turn myself over' to you?"

"Then your planet will be crushed under its own weight."

"Come again?"

"We will increase the gravitational pull of your planet until it brings the sky down in upon itself."

"Bit crude for a Krize. Clever though. How do you plan to do it?"

"Simple alchemy," a chipper, male voice said from the entrance to the room. Gregory turned to see a tall, skinny man in a suit and trench coat come striding in. "You rearrange the atoms in the iron core of the planet to form the molecules of something heavier, like, I don't know, lead and watch everything else cave in. Of course, it takes time to work through the layers, so everything else would change first, likely poisoning the water and the soil."

Scorch looked at the man, and Gregory thought he saw something flash in her eyes, but wasn't sure if it was pure joy or pure fear. "Doctor!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Glad you could make it! Thanks for coming to our little meeting."

Gregory felt his eyes widen. The Doctor? _The _Doctor? He'd read the files on the man; either they were in worse trouble than Gregory had thought, or things were going to be alright. Maybe both.

"Kathryn," the Doctor greeted Scorch. "How long's it been?"

"About two months. How's tricks?" Scorch asked as the Doctor leaned on the desk next to her.

"Oh, bit of this, bit of that. Traveling, running. Not dying. The usual. You?"

"Meh, so-so," Scorch said with a shrug. "Not much you can do when you're locked in a basement in the middle of the Cardiff Rift." The statement had carried a slightly accusing bite.

"So, here's what's happening," Scorch continued without a pause. Using her pencil, she pointed to the two people on the screen. "That's Phil, the Rahki Dictator. He's got plans to bring the Earth down in flames if I don't go with them. However, if I do the universe will likely go up in flames with the Earth. On the flip side, the Krize are going to crush us with a higher gravity and probably bring all the satellites down on our heads. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if I go with the Krize the Rahki will still burn the planet, but if I go with the Rahki the Krize will continue to crush us. So in essence everybody wants a piece of me, and whoever gets it Earth is still in a pickle."

The Doctor jerked his head sideways. "Sounds like a normal day."

"Yep."

"Are you two finished?" Phil spat out. Scorch stepped forward from the desk, looking like she'd suddenly exploded, the pencil/pointer now being swung more like a sword.

"No I'm not because I have another question. Why did you choose now? I've been sitting pretty here on Earth for two bloody months, and now you suddenly show. What's so special about now?"

"You've charged long enough."

"And both of you plan to bring the planet down around my ears if I don't comply with one or both of you?"

The Krize and the Rahki nodded. Scorch turned suddenly to Gregory. "You there, what's your name?"

"Gregory Bradsford. I'm an ambassador."

"Oh. Sorry about busting up your moment. Tell me Gregory, about how much would you say that screen cost?"

Gregory looked at the screen. "Uh, I don't know. Um, several hundred thousand pounds maybe?" he stammered out. Scorch looked down at the technological help.

"Will I still be in verbal contact with them if that image cuts?"

The soldiers nodded.

"Good."

Scorch threw the pencil at the screen, but it was suddenly made of swirling colors that made it look like a multi-colored lightning bolt. It struck the screen, shattering the glass and sending sparks flying.

"Both of you know well enough what that little move illustrates," Scorch growled. "I am about as near the edge as I can go without tipping. How about we all take two hours so you can both think very, very carefully about destroying a planet I am standing on!"

Scorch made a cutting motion at the soldiers in front of the screens. One of them hurriedly pushed a button. "It's off ma'am."

Scorch turned on her heal, marched for the Doctor, grabbed his tie and started pulling him by it. "I need a word with you," she said, not giving him much of a choice in the matter. She dragged him into one of the adjoining meeting rooms and Gregory heard her voice rise as she started yelling at the Doctor.

* * *

_**Onboard the Rahki Ship**_

Assavapisitkul glared at the screen. Damn Krize. If they'd left Scorch alone until its designers had run it through its Last Cycle, all this could have been avoided. Scorch could have been collected safely, on time, and with no prolonged exchanges. Damn those blasted, meddling, self-righteous Krize!

Damn the Doctor. Worst of the lot. If he had stopped being so honorable and kept Scorch with him, it wouldn't be so near the breaking point.

And damn that stupid, emotional…_human_ brain Scorch still had. That cursed humanity had sent it back to the familiar setting of the Rift, only after it went all noble protecting its precious Doctor. Now it was using itself to protect a nothing planet. It was too volatile to simply burn the wretched sphere down around it, and it bloody well knew that. Damn humans and their sentimental foolery.

Assavapisitkul snorted. Crazy little spark probably still had its TARDIS Key around its neck, even though it professed to not want the Doctor near it.

The Key. The TARDIS Key. The one-of-a-kind, blindingly unique TARDIS Key. Assavapisitkul turned to one of his many attendants. They snapped to attention.

"Get the TARDIS Key that we managed to take from the Doctor back on Beriin. Dig down through as many layers as you need to expose the base of it. Once you have that, start scanning the planet—no, just that base—for identical signatures. If we can't use the signal it's already giving, we can get it with the Key."

The attendant saluted. "Yes Dictator."

* * *

_**Onboard the Krize Ship**_

General Karzon studied the blank screen, thinking. The Rahki had cut communiques as soon as Scorch had given her time limit. She wasn't dull, he'd give her that. She knew the power she held, both literal and figurative. Lives, people, in some ways all existence depended on who got her in the end.

However, at the moment the ball was very much in the air. Karzon knew, and the Rahki knew, and Scorch knew, that it was beyond dangerous to physically damage, emotionally upset, or otherwise disturb her right now. She was in a highly volatile state. Time would disintegrate if she was set off unsupervised, and anything could set her off.

Maybe…maybe that was what he wanted.

"Sir," a young soldier said. "What do we do now?"

Karzon smiled lightly. 'Military' was a loose word for the Krize army. They were making it up as they went along, never having needed armed forces before.

"Start setting up the Atomic Reorganizer, and see if you can find a way to contact Tr—ah, Scorch without her makers knowing about it. If required, we'll send someone down to the surface to talk to her."

"May I ask why Sir?"

"She may be young, a bit impulsive, and a product of the Rahki, but she'd not stupid by any means. Scorch understands—by now all too well—just how dangerous she is. She'll be looking for a way to save Earth, and she'll eventually turn to us."

"Why would she look for a way to us, Sir?" the young man asked.

Karzon debated, then decided to oblige him. "She failed to call the one man who might have saved her; the Doctor. Scorch was obviously surprised and irritated that he came. Beyond anything else, she wants him safe. We just have to provide her with that opportunity."

"And what if she doesn't want to come, Sir?"

"Then we'll push her until she can't refuse us."

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	3. Chapter 3

_**UNIT Headquarters**_

"What the hell are you doing here?" Scorch shouted at the Doctor as the door to the side room shut.

"Nice to see you too Kathryn."

"You aren't supposed to be here!" Scorch continued, ignoring his attempt at making peace. "I did everything I could to stop you from finding me!"

"The Krize gave me a call," the Doctor said. "I was told the Scorch Project was coming to a close and I couldn't afford to miss it."

Scorch snorted. "Of course. It would be them. Have to keep everything in sync. How'd they get your number? I know it hasn't been going through any sections of space."

"Julius planted a bug when we were on Beriin."

Scorch sighed angrily. "Should have known. Should have checked. Well, you've made your showing, now get."

"What?"

"I don't want you here," Scorch said, pronouncing the words clearly. "You are in the way. This fight is not yours. Today, it's all about Scorch and what is wrong with her. You have nothing to do with this."

"I think I do."

"Well you aren't always right, Doctor," Scorch hissed. The Doctor seemed puzzled rather than offended.

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Your language. You're using Rahki."

Scorch made a face. "No I'm not," she said, switching to Atlantian. The Doctor just continued to look at her. She fixed him with a look of her own, then sighed. "Look, I don't care if the Rahki's original plan was for you to keep me stuck to your side. We parted ways, we're done. You don't need to feel responsible for my safety now, so leave."

The Doctor looked worried. "You know what you were built for?"

Scorch looked offended. "Of course not! But I got a Q&A session with my lead designer back at the Kurunathan Institute. You pick up a lot if you listen. Why would it matter anyway? _You_ are leaving. Today is gonna be messy enough without someone like you in the mix."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "How bad are you expecting it to get?"

"Oh, don't play stupid," Scorch said acerbically. "You know very well that if I stay on Earth, it gets destroyed. If I go to the Krize, they'll execute me and the Rahki-Krize feud will blow up and start an interstellar war that might turn into a temporal war as well. If I go with the Rahki, then they get to finish whatever I was made for. I'm hoping that the Krize and the Rahki will blow each other up before either one gets me. That's the only reason I called the Krize."

"_You_ called the Krize?" the Doctor asked in surprise. "How did you manage that?"

Scorch gave him a slightly disgusted look. "You may have been gallivanting around the cosmos for however long in your personal timeline, but I have spent the last two months rewiring and reprogramming everything TORCHWOOD Three has to, among other things, pick up interstellar communiques. When the Krize start moving away from their planet, people sit up and take notice. I knew I'd have to call them eventually, so I started putting pieces together until I essentially had their number. When I intercepted the Rahki's call that they were on their way for a chat, I sent an interspatial text to the Krize, and they came right when I asked them to."

"Find out anything about yourself?" the Doctor asked.

"Rumors mostly, none very good. Rahki are playing close to the vest, but I think they're cheating too. Hope the Krize have some kind of ace up their sleeves."

The Doctor gazed at her for a split second, and then asked, "How'd you get here from the 51st century?" Scorch lifted up her arm, showing the Doctor her vortex manipulator.

"The Time Agency was still running in the 51st. I got lucky; one of the agents was on vacation on Kurunathan. I jumped him and stole the manipulator. And no he's not dead or anything, he's perfectly fine. A few buttons later and I was in 21st century Cardiff. Right now, it's scrambling the signal I'm sending out, keeping the Rahki from getting their hands on me. Not sure how much longer it'll last. Battery's low."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned Scorch. Still holding the sonic, he grabbed her left hand, flipping her arm to look at the inside of it, then scanned again. He looked at the screwdriver for a few moments longer than necessary before speaking.

"You've got a chip inserted into your arm. It's part of the bone, only way you'd get it out is if you cut it off. Even then I don't think that would completely remove it. Odd, you didn't have this when we met."

Scorch jerked her arm away, the message clear though she didn't say the words. The Doctor was surprised at how much the move hurt, but didn't say anything about it.

"Did Randalls put it in at the Institute?" he asked.

"Must have," Scorch said. "My rock/transporter thing was burnt out and I wasn't carrying it, I didn't have the chip before that, and my arm has been sore ever since then."

The Doctor regarded her like a bug on a card for a moment before frowning for moment. "You look perplexed."

"I feel like I've forgotten something, but I have no idea what," she said, momentarily distracted. "I woke up feeling like there was something I should know, but don't. Oh well, it'll come eventually."

The Doctor smiled lightly at the quick glimpse of Kathryn before moving on to the next topic. "Last time you were in Cardiff, you were on the verge of overloading and nearly went insane. Two extra months couldn't have helped any."

Scorch swallowed and nodded, for a moment looking like the scared teenager she was before her shields were back up. "Yeah. I've been fighting it back, but the Cardiff Rift filled me to capacity. That's what the light show with the T.V. screen was. I had to make sure they knew how close to the edge I am." She held out her hand as if inspecting her nails. Instantly, multicolored sparks and rolls of light covered it. "It takes a lot of concentration, but I can keep it locked down. Only problem is that I can't go anywhere. I used up what I think was my last temporal trip to get here from Cardiff. If I go through the vortex again, I'll pop. Who knows what'll happen then."

"That must hurt," the Doctor said, empathetic. Scorch just gave him a look.

"No kidding. What led you to that brilliant conclusion?"

"Your pulse," the Doctor said, nodding at her jugular vein, which was pulsing as usual. "It's been erratic ever since I walked in, like you keep losing part of a heart."

"Energy destroys, Doctor," Scorch said seriously with a strained voice. "Even for a containment unit, energy destroys. I just get to be a lucky one that rebuilds as soon as it breaks, so while I'm torn apart on a cellular level, I get repaired so that I can have my cells ripped to pieces again. So yes, it hurts." She looked down at her vortex manipulator. "I've lost seven minutes talking to you, and I have a planet to save. If you'd leave—"

"Not a chance," the Doctor said, grinning. Scorch didn't seem amused.

"Can't resist a life-threatening situation, can you?" She sighed heavily. "Fine. I hacked this place a few times while I was bored. Seems you were a consultant in the seventies after an exile from your home world. You can pick that station up again. Frankly, you don't really understand what the risk is this time Doctor. The Earth burning is nothing compared to what could happen."

"Then tell me; what could happen?"

Scorch shrugged. "A temporal explosion."

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	4. Chapter 4

The second Scorch stepped out of the door, it was as though she'd thrown a switch on her demeanor. She moved like a dragonfly on fire, spinning about and talking.

"The lo-los in the rockets aren't going to be able to wait the full two hours," she said, her Texan accent thickening. She pointed at the soldiers in front of the computers. "Start scanning or radaring or whatever it is you people do here and see if you can find out exactly how the Krize are going to start their planet-wide alchemical tests. From there we can try stopping it. Start seeing where the satellites and other bits of space junk are. Maybe we can keep them from dropping on any major cities." Turning on the spot, she faced Colonel Mace.

"Still like the hat. Soldier Man, this is the Doctor. Irritating but useful upon occasion."

"Yes, we've met," Colonel Mace said. He didn't sound very proud of the fact. The Doctor seemed puzzled.

"We have?"

"Oh, it must be too early for you," Colonel Mace said acidly. "Just my luck I'd meet you out of order. Are you responsible for her?"

"No one is responsible for me…Colonel?" Scorch said, her sentence ending in a question. "I think that's your rank. Best guess." She spun again. "Gregory, how's that coffee doing? Oh, and I would love a shot of whatever alien diseases you happen to have lying about. Need to try and control my energy levels. Thanks." She snapped her fingers and pointed at the Doctor.

"Consultant, the usually over-cautious Krize are willing to alter a planet's structure while the Rahki who have planned everything out so far are simply ready to burn it. Why?"

"If you burn down a city, it stays burnt and lots of people die. It also produces immediate results, useful for a scare tactic. If you change the gravity, you can change it back no permanent damage done, but it takes a while to work."

"Doctor, if I may speak with you both," Colonel Mace interrupted with an extremely forced politeness. "As commander of this base I have the right and need to know exactly what is going on."

"Your planet is in danger of being crushed and/or burnt because of a genetic experiment that could potentially end time as we know it," the Doctor said casually. "What else do you need?"

"I can see you don't change with time. Unfortunately," Colonel Mace snarled. "Doctor, you may still be on the payroll as a consultant, but that's all you are."

"Oi!" Scorch snapped. "Sanders! If you haven't got something useful to add, keep your mouth shut!"

Colonel Mace glared at her. "We were on a diplomatic track until you showed up and started insulting everyone in sight, and as far as I understand it you are what everyone is fighting over. What makes you think—?"

"Think?" Scorch said, looking him in the eye. "I don't think, Colonel Sanders, I know. There are two ships up there, mortal enemies. With luck they might start firing on each other, but that's highly unlikely. They know I'm here, and they might start raining fire from the skies, or crushing us under our own weight, but they won't finish it. It's too big of a risk, because I am volatile, and if something happens to set me off this whole planet will become the center of a temporal black hole." Faint dashes and forks of light started to twine around Scorch's arms, growing brighter as she continued. "Races, centuries, inventions, soldiers, medicines, people, wars, all bleeding across the temporal boundaries into each other. Nothing can escape that, and neither the Rahki nor the Krize have any wish to be nearby if that happens. So if you would do me the great kindness of shutting up, standing back, and in general not irritating me, I and the planet would be very much obliged."

Scorch turned to the side and walked over to the Doctor, the multi-colored lightning she'd just had dancing around her fading. "How would someone start to change the atomic structure of anything from such a distance?" she asked, her voice quieting.

"I liked the light show," the Doctor said so only Scorch could hear. "Something you learned at TORCHWOOD?"

"You get bored," she said simply.

"Find out about the 'temporal black hole' while you were there too?" the Doctor asked. She shrugged in response.

"Sounded plausible. Is it?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather not find out," the Doctor said. His tone shifted. "I've never seen you quite so…"

"Irritated?"

"Defensive."

"I happen to like this planet, and the current universe, and I don't really want Sanders in my way."

"Is that his name?"

Scorch studied the Doctor for a moment. "When you have a chance, look up the fast food chain called KFC. Oh, I just remembered!" She turned to look at Colonel Mace.

"Sanders! Get one of your secretaries to take a note: on May 13th, 2011, you're gonna need to make sure you've got one of your teams over in America. Dinky little county in Northern California called Lake County. In it there's an even smaller town called Kelseyville. It's got a high school, and that evening you'll need to show up at the high school after…oh, let's say 9:30?—and clean up the bodies."

"What bodies?" the person madly scribbling down the instructions asked as Sanders glared at Scorch.

Scorch winked at him. "My first ones." She turned back to the Doctor. "No, that wasn't the all-important thing I still need to remember. So, alchemy from space."

* * *

Scorch didn't react when her vortex manipulator buzzed. Two longs, one short and a long. She had an incoming call, and it wasn't hard to guess who from.

She glanced at the Doctor, who was busy convincing Colonel Mace not to bring the missiles on line. Scorch smiled very briefly. She'd love to stay and listen, but this was her chance.

Tapping the shoulder of a nearby soldier, she said, "You wouldn't happen to have a bathroom around here."

The soldier gave a short, nervous nod. "Door right over there miss."

"Danke," Scorch said, walking towards it and hoping it was a single.

It was, and Scorch swiftly locked the door and leaned against it. She took a deep breath, choosing her emotions carefully before she flipped open the manipulator.

"What the hell do you want Julie?" she snapped.

"You," Julius said bluntly. Scorch gave a harsh laugh.

"What, a kiss wasn't enough for you?"

"Don't be crude; you know exactly what I mean."

"Oh, is the brave officer embarrassed?" Scorch taunted. "Don't be. Everyone else is passing me around like a second-rate whore; you might as well join the party! Bring a six-pack for yourself."

"You brought this on your own head, Trouble," Julius said, biting out the word. "That is your name, isn't it? The one you used to introduce yourself when we first met. Do you remember? TARDIS smoking and sparking from the damage she'd taken, the Doctor missing…"

"A lying officer with an army hiding behind a hill."

"What sort of pictures ran through your head until he finally called? A broken, bleeding body, gasping out his last alone as he kept believing you, of all people, would save him."

"Shut up Julie," she said shortly. "This isn't why you called."

"Then why did I call?"

"To offer to pick me up, promising simple death rather than a long life of who knows what."

"And?"

"No. I'll find a way out of this, I always do."

"Oh, of course!" Julius said condescendingly. "Your Doctor is here to save you now; everything will be all right."

"You know I didn't bring him here," Scorch accused. "I don't want him here. Bad enough the planet is at risk, I don't need him dying in the process. You're the ones that pulled him into this mess; I'd be much obliged if you'd get him out of it."

"Can't do that Trouble. His own curiosity brought him here. Just like the Institute."

Scorch inhaled sharply as a sharp pain danced up her spine. Harsh, flaming, sparking pain. It spread through her body swiftly as a mental picture of the Doctor's body, laid out as if dead, came to her mind. "How did you know about that?" she hissed as she wrestled her emotions down.

"Oh, we're everywhere. Did you know that he looked through the files on you? He knows what you are."

Katie felt her hearts stop. "He what?"

"Certainly," Julius said, sounding surprised. "Why wouldn't he take the opportunity to check up on you? He knows exactly what you were made for Trouble."

The air started to crackle and spark with energies that Scorch struggled to hold on to, her shifting emotions playing with her body chemistry and making things difficult. Julius kept talking. "That's why he's here; he has to save everyone from you. But who's there to save him from you, Scorch?"

There was a blinding flash of light as Scorch discharged. Multi-colored lightning flashed up to the ceiling, leaving black marks behind. Scorch marks.

What else would she leave them on?

_Tap tap tap_

"Kathryn?" _Tap tap tap_ "You all right?"

For a few seconds, Katie couldn't speak. Then Scorch swallowed hard and said in a clear voice,

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine Doctor. I'll just be another minute."

Scorch waited a few seconds and then snarled into her wrist strap.

"Alright you bloody manipulative bastard. You've proved a point, but I've still got an hour and thirty minutes to find a way out of this, and I'm sure not going to come running to you for my execution. I have a life I want to live, Julie, and I'm not letting you get in the way."

"I'll be looking forward to your call," Julius said calmly.

"Don't count on it."

"I'll be sure not to gloat too much when it comes."

* * *

Scorch came whisking out of the bathroom and instantly called over to the people watching the Krize ship. "You're going to be getting some interesting readings soon, let me know what they look like when they show. Anyone keeping an eye on the planet itself? We're going to need to ship people outdoors."

Colonel Mace gave Scorch a surprised look. "It's been barely half an hour; you said two."

"I also said that they weren't going to wait that long."

"Bit impatient for a Krize though," the Doctor said, obvious questioning in his voice. Scorch gave him a quick look.

"Let's say I have a hunch that they're going to be applying pressure soon."

The Doctor gave her an open look. "They called you didn't they."

"Oh, look at the smart one showing off as usual!" Scorch said a bit sarcastically. "Yeah, I got an offer a minute ago. Not surprised by it. I'm expecting the Rahki to send me a message too, though they might ship it out by Jahra." She glanced at Colonel Mace. "Don't think that just because you're UNIT you've escaped the body swappers."

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

Scorch grimaced. "That's right, you don't know. Then again, you might. Never know. Of course, I suppose this whole room could be made of you by now."

"If we have an information leak that you know about—"

"It's not a leak; it's a gaping hole, if it exists. Don't worry, they don't care. See, the Rahki make a living creating clones that they call Jahra. Insta-life recorders. Trade the original person out, let the Jahra live, retrieve the Jahra and stick the original in the ground or whatever a race does for their dead."

Colonel Mace gave the Doctor a look. "So even he could be one."

"Nope," Scorch said, shaking her head. "The Doctor is the only one I don't siphon life and energy from on contact." She leaned in conspiratorially. "In case you missed it Sanders, that was a warning to not forcefully remove me from the room."

"Why is the Doctor the only safe one?"

"Don't know." Scorch turned to the Doctor, an angry spark in her eyes. "He knows, but I don't think he's telling, are you Doctor dear?"

The Doctor's eyes widened just a touch, his expression the one he used only when he was properly surprised and worried. "Where did you hear that?"

"The Krize. Makes sense really," she said, her tone signaling a deep hurt. "Have to come save everyone from me, but first you look for any other way out. So you left. Running as usual." Her laugh held no humor. "Why am I not surprised?"

Scorch turned away to sit down at one of the computers. She picked up a set of headphones, making eye contact with the Doctor, obviously sending him a message. She let the headphones snap over her ears and turned to the screen, pulling up an image of the Earth from space and locating the different satellites.

"Ick," she said, grimacing. "Don't like the way those are lined up. Never realized we had so many."

"Sir, there's a signal coming out from the Krize ship," one of the many soldiers called. "It's not communication, but they're bouncing it off of our satellites, using them to spread the signal around the planet. Judging by the current speed, we have about two minutes before it's finished circling."

"Oh, that's clever," the Doctor said, leaning over Scorch's shoulder as she pulled up the information on her own screen. "Don't have to spend as much power, makes it last longer, but still effective."

Scorch frowned pensively and clicked her teeth. "Doctor," she said slowly. "If, as you hypothesize, this marvelous signal is going to turn all our iron into something heavier, would it affect only pure iron, or would anything containing iron be affected?"

"I suppose it would depend on how much iron," the Doctor answered. He raised his eyebrows, understanding why Scorch was asking. "Oooh…Now that's…"

"Inconvenient," Scorch filled in for him.

"Extremely." The Doctor glanced at the room around him as if sizing something up.

"And messy," Scorch added nodding. "Really, really messy." She turned in her chair to look at Colonel Mace. "Sanders, off the top of your head, how many skyscrapers would you say the U.K. has?"

"Dozens," he answered. "Why?"

"How many of them would you say used steel for the main structure?"

"All of them."

"How fast can you evacuate those buildings?" the Doctor asked, his voice worried.

"Evacuate?" Gregory asked. Scorch had nearly forgotten he was still there. "To where?"

"Anywhere that the structures are made solely of wood/and or brick," Scorch said. "Outside away from buildings would be the absolute best. And then you might want to find some way to stop trains, land planes, get people out of cars, and otherwise move people away from anything made out of steel."

"Steel?" Gregory asked. "I though you said they were aiming for iron."

"Guess what steel is primarily made of, Ambassador Boy," Scorch said blandly. She shook her head incredulously. "Doctor, I don't think the Krize are playing by their own rules anymore. Forget changing gravity!" She looked up at the Doctor. "This planet uses steel for everything. Nothing's going to be able to support itself. It's all going to fall in. Everything is going to collapse."

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone in the room was silent for a moment. Gregory quickly turned to Colonel Mace. "Colonel, this is one thing I can do. I need a line to the UN now. Half the world is asleep and we need to move."

"I'll have it wired in through the second meeting room," the Colonel said, nodding towards it. Gregory disappeared into the room as Scorch turned to the people at the computers, pointing and issuing orders.

"You keep a solid eye on the Rahki. I want to know if and how they respond. Those of you who were just watching the Krize, one of you stay on task. The rest of you brilliant humans need to start in and see if we can do anything to block or slow down the signal. Break into your own programs if need be, but stop it. Try turning the satellites around so they face away from Earth. If anything you do gets interrupted from inside UNIT, let it through, it'll be me." Scorch spun in her chair to face Colonel Mace. "I don't know how the government around here works, or how you manage crises, so this is your game now Sanders."

Scorch put down her headphones and got up from her chair, pushing buttons on her manipulator as she walked towards one of the side rooms.

"Where are you off to?" the Doctor asked.

"I've got a call to make."

"To who?"

"TORCHWOOD."

"We don't need their help on this," the Colonel said. Scorch smiled.

"Yeah you do. Trust me, they get their hands dirty on a regular basis, and oi vey do they have better computers than you do. As a bonus, we've been working on wiring the place to serve as a great big signal tower. They've got a chance to slow this thing down."

She pressed a final button and disappeared into the side room. "Jack? Yeah, this is Katie. I've got a favor to ask."

* * *

_**Onboard the Rahki ship**_

Assavapisitkul thought carefully about how to approach this sudden, uncharacteristic move from the Krize. He hadn't expected them to follow through on their threat, much less enact it so soon. They must truly be desperate to claim Scorch. Assavapisitkul couldn't really blame them. The Krize were—admittedly—incredibly smart. He highly doubted they'd be able to withstand the temptation to use it against its creators.

Yet what good would this do them? Scorch had an emotional attachment to this planet. If Assavapisitkul remembered correctly, its perceived family was still on Earth. The Doctor was down there to, and Scorch was very, very attached to him. Its emotions must be very strained.

Perhaps that's what the Krize were doing. They were still Krize at the core; they'd want to make this whole thing its choice. They were going to force it to come to them. It would do it too, eventually. Unless…

"Block part of that signal," Assavapisitkul said to no one specific, knowing that at least three separate Rahki would start working on it.

"Sir, I do not understand," his second-in-command said blandly, keeping all question out of his voice. One did not accuse the Dictator of foolishness.

"You don't need to. Do we have anyone near her?"

"Yes sir."

"Once we've slowed the Krize transmission, set her off."

"Yes sir."

* * *

_**UNIT Headquarters**_

"Jack, I need Ianto at the computers," Scorch said as she opened up the laptop she'd seen in the first meeting room when she'd talked to the Doctor. "I've been working with him on this while you and Gwen were dashing about doing TORCHWOODie stuff."

"How did—of course, it's you," Jack said in a slightly irritated tone. "You would find a way to call my wrist."

"I'll call your boyfriend directly in a second if you don't transfer my call."

"Touchy. Does this have to do with getting those ships out of my sky?"

"And keeping your buildings standing, your planes in the air, your cars on the road, and your trains on the tracks."

There was a momentary pause, a small click, and then Ianto's voice. "Miss Moore."

"Mr. Jones! Good to hear from you again. You've been keeping things warm since I left, yah?"

"Everything's been on standby as you requested."

Scorch grinned. "Good. I'm about to break through the firewall—again—but I need you to start picking apart the signal that the second ship is sending out. I want to know what it's made of."

"What does it do?"

"We're thinking it's going to change iron to lead, including things with high concentrations of iron—"

"Which includes steal."

"Oh, I wish I was there with you people instead of UNIT. They are so slow. Ah, some things might be flashing on your secondary screen. Ignore them; that's gonna be me using the Hub to try and get into the Krize ship itself. Expect power drains. Oh, and one other thing; have I mentioned anything I was planning for today?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"I just feel like I've forgotten something. Oh well."

The conversation paused while Ianto and Scorch worked on their separate tasks. However, a few minutes into her work, the Doctor opened the door.

"I think you need to take a look at this."

Scorch debated staying, but the Doctor was using one of his tones. "I have to step out for a moment Ianto," she said into the manipulator. "Keep working."

"What is it Doctor?" she asked as she stood.

"The Rahki are helping."

"Who, the Krize? Wouldn't have expected an alliance."

"Not the Krize."

Scorch stared at him before quickly leaving the room. "What, we have a third ship?"

Colonel Mace looked up at Scorch, a slightly smug look on his face. "It seems your evaluation of your owners was wrong Scorch. They—"

"If you value your continued existence," Scorch hissed at him, "you will never refer to the Rahki as my owners again. They are not my masters, my owners, my controllers, or any variation thereof. Are we very clear?"

The Colonel seemed a little surprised by Scorch's intensity, but gave a small nod of agreement. "As I was saying, the Rahki have countered the Krize's attack."

Scorch blinked in confusion. "Come again?"

"Yes. They're slowing down the signal. It seems you were wrong about them."

Scorch stood silently for a moment before looking up at the Doctor. "Doctor," she said slowly. "What does it mean when the two most predictable people so far are going against everything they've ever done?"

"I wish I knew."

"Neither of you sound particularly pleased about it," Colonel Mace scoffed. "The Rahki have given us valuable time, but not much."

"They haven't given you a thing except a mind game," Scorch said. "But what on Earth would it be?"

"You possibly," Mace said.

"Now hang on!"

"Why are you running from them?" he questioned accusingly. "So far, everything you've said about both of these invaders has turned out false. How do I know you aren't simply here to cause trouble? You all seem to agree you're some kind of experiment gone wild. Why pick Earth?"

"Because it's my home," Scorch said, looking a little lost at how to answer the questions. "I don't know anywhere else. And yes, I'm an experiment. I suck light, heat, sound, and mental energy out of my surroundings and store it. I drain life from people I have skin-to-skin contact with, and I store it. I take temporal energy and store that too. Who knows how I do it, who knows why, but you can bet your stars it's not good."

"I only have your word on that."

"Augh!" Scorch growled in frustration. "Why do humans have to be so thick?"

"Kathryn, breathe," the Doctor said, moving her gently to the side. "Getting irritated won't help."

"How do you deal with these people?" she asked.

"Breathe. Remember, you were raised as one. Just…go back to what you were doing."

Scorch gave a final glare at Mace and disappeared into the side room, muttering all the way. The Doctor turned back to Mace. "Colonel, the Rahki only help someone if it benefits them."

"The benefit would be the girl."

"Right now, your priority is to keep that girl safe. If either race gets a hold of her, there is no telling what would happen."

"Is she a weapon?"

"Could be, yeah."

"Then why is she hiding here?"

"If you had the world's biggest nuclear bomb, would you advertise it?"

"Could we use her?"

"Don't you dare."

"Doctor," Mace said, "I know you've always been protective of your friends, but this planet is under attack, and I will not allow it to go down on my watch."

"And it will if you give her back," the Doctor said, part of his brain taking note of Gregory Bradsford going into the room containing Scorch, writing it off as harmless as he continued pleading his case. "I know that's what you're thinking. Yes, the Rahki have just given you some time, but that's all."

"Sir," a soldier coming up to them said. "The Krize have already found a way around the Rahki interventions, and the first reports of structure collapse are coming in."

"How many planes are still in the air?"

"27 Sir, all calling in about structure damage. Most of those are commercial airlines."

Mace nodded, then peered at the man talking to them. "Are you ill?"

"It's nothing Sir," the man said. "Just a headache."

"Report to the Med Center," Mace ordered. "We need everyone on their toes."

"Don't you see what your friend has caused Doctor?" Mace said as he turned back. "The Krize and the Rahki would take the fight away from here if we simply gave her back to her creators."

"You do that and you are sealing your fate," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, Scorch has already labeled herself as volatile, and I don't want her here. She is a risk that could easily be removed by giving her back. How do you know she didn't run away from them, and now they've simply come to take her home?"

"Trust me, she's running because everything will end if they get her back," the Doctor said earnestly. "Just give us until the end of the two hours. Right now, she's perfectly safe."

The door to the side office opened suddenly and Scorch stuck her head out, leaning over heavily, sparks flying off her. "Doctor!" she shouted, sounding like she was in pain. "I need a hand gun!"

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor looked at Scorch for only a moment before he pulled Colonel Mace's gun from its holster and slid it across the floor to Scorch.

"Which one?" he asked as it skittered towards her.

"Already gone," she answered as she grabbed the gun. She pulled out the clip, checked it, and put it back in the gun. "Doc, you've got one minute and twenty three seconds starting now." She stuck the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger.

The Doctor was already at her side, swiftly lifting her. He could see the hole in the back of her head already healing. "Mace, I need a secure room that's close."

Colonel Mace looked incredibly confused and irritated, but answered immediately. "Down the hall to the right, third door on the left side."

He shouted something else, but the Doctor was already out the door. He could feel the seconds ticking past as he rushed along, Scorch crackling with energy. Something had triggered her, set her off. What sort of idiot would do that?

Suddenly everything went dark. Nothing existed but his heartsbeat.

_Toump-toump-toump-toump_

_ Toump-toump-toump-toump_

Scorch woke with a gasp, jerking so violently that the Doctor was forced to let go of her. She leaned against the wall, looking around with wild, empty eyes.

"I could take down this entire place," she said in a guttural voice. Her face flickered, as if two personalities were trying to force their way out. The Doctor caught her as she fell forward, half dragging her as she clung to him.

"What's happening?" she whimpered. "What am I? Please, what am I?"

The Doctor didn't answer, just throwing open the door Colonel Mace had described, checking at a glance that the only way in or out was through the door.

The whine and crackle of electricity rose in his ears as he pulled Scorch into the meeting room, putting her down and backing up rapidly. Her expression smoothed, and he slammed the door as she lifted the gun to take aim. He heard it go off, wondering if she had been pointing it at him when she fired.

He locked the door with his sonic and turned to the two soldiers who had—predictably—followed him. "Wait for ten minutes after she runs out of bullets, then come get me."

They nodded nervously.

* * *

"Perfectly safe?" Colonel Mace asked sarcastically when the Doctor returned.

"The Rahki must have sent one of the Jahra out after her. But how did they get to her in here?" He smacked his forehead. "Of course! Oh, I'm getting so thick. Old and thick," the Doctor said, already not paying Mace any attention.

Colonel Mace looked like he couldn't decide whether to have the Doctor thrown out or to do it himself when one of the multiple techies called from the front.

"Colonel, TORCHWOOD is calling."

The Doctor hurried over to the computers. One of the soldiers stood up and he slid on the headset.

"Talk to me."

"Where's Katie?" a man asked with a touch of repressed worry in his voice.

"Oh, I know that voice!" the Doctor said cheerfully. "This is the Doctor; what can I do for you Ianto Jones?"

Ianto's tone smoothed out, now sounding overly formal and yet slightly protective. "Katie was working and the screen showing her work on this end went blank. What happened?"

"She's…preoccupied with a power spike," the Doctor said. "What did she have you doing?"

"I was identifying the signal's frequency."

The Doctor was puzzled. "I thought Toshiko Sato was your computer girl."

There was a slight pause on the other end. "She's dead," Ianto said in a quiet tone.

"Oh. Sorry. When?"

"The week Katie came back."

The Doctor was silent for a few moments. He knew how close Scorch had grown to Toshiko during her original four months with TORCHWOOD. Just when he thought he couldn't feel worse about leaving her.

"We should get back to work," Ianto said on the other end. "Can you work a computer?"

"Not as well as Kathryn, but yes. What was she trying to do?"

"I think she was trying to gain access to the Krize ship itself."

"Why would she…oh, clever girl. Almost as smart as I am."

Ianto didn't ask what the Doctor was talking about, though he might have. The Doctor never found out, because the next moment there was a scratching noise, like someone taking the headphones, and then a distinctly accented female voice was talking to him.

"Is this you again? What are you doing here?"

The Doctor applied half his brain to remembering the woman's name. "Cooper, isn't it? Gwen."

"What the bloody hell was that about, leaving her behind?"

The Doctor paused, taking a moment to understand. "You mean Kathryn?"

"You just toss her out the door in a century she knows nothing of and hope that she can find her own way? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Language Gwen Cooper."

"It's Mrs. Williams, you sick bastard, and I've got so much more for you. Think you can abandon her and then pick her up again whenever you want or something? Do you have any idea what you've done to her, what she's gone through these past two months? The choice you tricked her into making just to protect yourself, you selfish son of a—?"

There was more scratching and Ianto's voice came back. "Sorry about that." His tone didn't really match his words.

"She's grown rather attached to Kathryn," the Doctor asked, trying to keep his voice light.

"We all have," Ianto said, his voice quietly ending the discussion. "I'll link you up with the Hub. Katie was going to use the building itself as a signal carrier for whatever she was doing."

"Ianto, were you able to identify what it was about the signal that changed molecular structures?"

"It seems as though there's a particular frequency that vibrates and shuffles only certain atoms. The correct frequency setting can rearrange the atoms of one element to become another. It has to work harder on something that isn't a pure element, which is the only reason we've lasted this long."

There was a crash and the Doctor turned to look at the center of the room. His eyebrows went up as he noted the large chunk of lead that seemed to have fallen from the ceiling. From the shape, the Doctor guessed it had once been a beam in the roof. He noticed Mace giving him a steady look.

"Doctor, you may not get your requested time. I have reports coming in that people are collapsing all over this base with lead poisoning. Three have already died. If it's happening here, it's happening everywhere else. You'd better have some kind of plan."

"Oh, I always have a plan," the Doctor said nonchalantly, turning back to the computer. "Just hope that it works," he said under his breath.

The Doctor worked away at breaking into the Krize computers, but had to admit (only to himself) that it was a bit difficult. Oh, he understood the lines of code in front of his eyes; he was just out of practice at actually using his mind rather than the screwdriver, and at this distance and with the extra steps he had to take to even get the signal to the ship, it wasn't easy. When he saw how far Scorch seemed to have gotten in the few minutes she'd had, he couldn't help being a little impressed.

A little while later, one of the soldiers that had been guarding Scorch came into the main room. The Doctor told Ianto he was going to be a few and immediately left, preparing himself for anything.

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	7. Chapter 7

The door to the meeting room looked well battered, and a few small burn holes were showing, but it seemed as though Scorch had mostly kept away from it. She must have been able to restrain herself to some extent.

The Doctor unlocked the door and slipped inside. The room was destroyed. Not merely wrecked, destroyed. The meeting table and the chairs were disintegrated. Any sort of light fixture had been torn out, leaving small sparking wires. Patches of fine black dust was all that remained of the flooring. The concrete walls to either side of the room had ragged holes in them, showing that the rooms to either side were in similar states of disrepair.

The Doctor looked through the hole to the right. Scorch was in the corner of the room furthest from the opening, huddled on the floor with her arms wrapped around her stomach. There was a faint glow still coming off her as the energy spike continued to work itself out. It was enough that he could see the blood on her forehead and throat, as well as a few of the holes in her shirt, just as he had expected.

He sat down against the wall next to her, his long legs tucked up like a half-formed pretzel. He looked at Scorch. "How many?"

"Seven," she told him, pointing to her forehead. Drawing a hand across her abdomen she said, "Three." She gestured at her chest. "Five." Finally she flicked her throat. "One."

"Emptied the entire clip into yourself."

"And destroyed the gun. Had to. Took a lot less energy than I hoped to come back each time."

"I didn't know being shot in the throat would kill a person outright."

"I was tired of hearing myself scream." Scorch looked down at her hands, obviously thinking about something. "How long did it take? After I shot myself in that main room, how long did it take me to come back?"

"Less than a minute."

"How long did the nothing last?"

"Two sets of hearts beats."

Scorch looked slightly confused. "Translate that into human heart beats."

"Two."

Scorch sighed deeply. "Oh, it's getting worse. Now I know I've got a lot. Usually it takes three beats, and over a minute after I actually die for it to happen." She flexed her hands, still bothered by something. "Did you see him?" she asked.

"Who?"

"The man that poisoned me. Gregory Bradsford. The ambassador."

"I think I saw him as he was going in. Why?"

"I never realized just how good the Jahra are. He did such a brilliant job of acting his part when he saw me the first time. He did really well at completing his assignment though. Coffee with epinephrine in it. A natural energy buzz to kick off a much, much larger one."

"I probably would have just given you a shot."

"But I would have seen that, and that's not in character."

The Doctor gave her a look. "Why does it matter?"

Scorch took a deep, shuddering breath. "I told you he was gone. And he is, oh, he's gone."

The Doctor was silent, knowing precisely what she meant. He didn't want to ask the next question, but felt he had to. "How?"

She continued staring at her hand. "Kathryn," the Doctor snapped. "What happened?"

"I couldn't see straight," she answered. "No, that's a lie. I could see very well, almost too well. I saw everything, and energy, both views at once. I felt…furious. I've never been so angry in my life. But…but I wasn't angry at him for some reason. I wasn't really angry at anyone or anything, I was just…angry. And then I wasn't. I didn't feel anything except…" Her eyes widened as her voice petered out.

"Kathryn," the Doctor said, his voice firm. "Finish."

"Want. I felt intense want. I wanted so badly to kill him, to drain the life from him. I saw the whole thing play out in my mind before I did it. And then it happened. I punched through his chest wall and crushed his heart. I stared right into his face as I watched him gasp in pain and I felt his life rush into my body and…and…" Scorch drew her legs all the way up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, looking terrified. "And I enjoyed it! He turned to dust because of me, and I stood there wishing it had lasted longer, desperate for more energy."

She closed her eyes, tears of shame and fear leaking out of them. "What kind of a monster am I?" she asked, her voice shaking on the verge of a sob. "What sort of a creature am I supposed to be? I took someone's life and I loved it. When I opened the door and yelled at you, I immediately sized up the entire room and thought of seven different ways I could take the whole place by force. I could see the temporal energy of every single person there, and I wanted so badly to take it." Scorch shook her head. "What am I?" she asked again. "What could possibly be the reason I was made? What sort of idiot would commission, or even want, a thing like me?"

Scorch shook her head. "I have to leave. I've got to get off this planet."

"Kathryn, we'll find a way out of this."

"Have you even been listening? Even if…even if I wasn't some psychopathic pleasure killer, I have two feuding races ready to incinerate an entire planet to get me back. People are dying because I was created, real people with lives and thoughts and families." Scorch gasped painfully. The glow her energy had been giving off had gone out, leaving the two of them in the dark.

"My family. They're out there now." She began hyperventilating as more words flowed from her mouth. "They're on the other side of the planet, asleep, and the sky is falling in on them. They could be dead. All of them. My mom with her love and my dad with his teasing and my brother with his grin and Aunt Lydia with her advice and Uncle Roy with his motorcycles and my cousin Andrew with his art and Laura with her books. They could be dead right now.

"And my friends. Mari and Juana and Desiree. They all live in apartments. They could be dead right now. They must be." Katie moved, probably curling up tighter. "And it's my fault. It's all my fault. I just killed my family."

"It's only 2008 Kathryn," the Doctor said, trying to help. "You didn't leave until 2011. You'd remember."

"I should also remember the planet crushing itself, but I don't," she snapped, not in the mindset for consolation. "Time can be re-written. As long as I live past today, I can still be here."

She choked back a sob, still trying to not break completely. "They're gone. All of them. I know it. All of them. They were all I ever had. They were my life. That was the one thing that I could ever think, that they were still there somewhere living out their lives even if I couldn't be with them. And now they're dead. I killed them all." Katie drew in a shaky breath.

"I never said good-bye, Doctor. Even when you left, I never even got to say goodbye. And they're gone, they're gone, they're gone…" Katie lost the will to fight her grief, both at what she had become and at the separation from her family. She let out a deep moan that became a sob.

The Doctor sat next to Katie, not touching her or speaking but also not leaving her alone. A precious five minutes of the Earth's uncertain time ticked past before Scorch was able to force herself to calm down. The Doctor could almost see her stuffing her emotions into a bottle and firmly corking it.

"What am I Doctor?" her voice asked. He could feel her eyes burning into him. "What am I?"

When he still didn't answer, her voice sharpened. "Doctor, I know that you know. Don't you dare keep this to yourself. Tell me what I am."

"You are the greatest genetic experiment to ever come into existence. You have a piece of almost every major species in you. Sontaran, to make you love warfare. Human to give you feeling and your original appearance. Ihu, a race known for intelligence. Haxal, a thieving race. You have a bit of Grixzen, giving you drive. Dalek, to give you an underlying but ever present anger. Dozens of others, all for different purposes. Rahki to hold it all together. You are a giant scrapbook, a huge melting pot for everything that the universe has." The Doctor took a breath, debating for a moment whether or not to tell her the worst of it.

"You also have a triple helix."

"A what?" she asked, stunned.

"Yeah."

"But that's...that's…"

"Yeah."

The Doctor could feel the confusion radiating from Scorch. "But…but the only race with a triple helix is…you. How does something like me end up with someone like you in my DNA?"

"I've been everywhere, damaged and bleeding at so many places," the Doctor answered. "Not hard to get a sample. It would only take a single cell. It's not much. Not enough to count in any sort of circumstance, or give you anything but a triple helix."

Scorch made a sound of revelation. "Ahh, that's why you're the only one I don't absorb energy from. You're the only race with a triple helix. My body would recognize your cells as being mine. No reason to steal from myself."

"It's also just enough to ensure that we have a sub-conscious link."

"Just enough to keep me glued to your side, you mean," Scorch said bitterly. "Why would they need that?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you dare Time Lord. Fine and dandy that I make a marvelous genetic scrapbook, but you still haven't told me what I am."

"I really don't know Kathryn."

"Don't lie to me! What am I?"

The Doctor took a deep breath. "I don't know why they made you. The actual purpose they had in mind is still up in the air. I know what you could be."

"Then what am I?"

"A breeding ground." Even though she couldn't see him, he turned to look at her. "You are the perfect soldier Kathryn. Take out the humanity and you have the most magnificent killing machine you could dream up. The energy absorption guarantees that almost nothing can kill you, and it works as a weapon. You're incredibly smart. You're strong. Blood thrills you to no end. I think the Rahki are trying to build an army, and you've become their prototype."

Scorch was silent for a moment. "And putting me with you, a man who is constantly in danger and fighting, and then making sure I can't stand to watch him get hurt, gives me plenty of opportunities to fight and test my skills." She became quiet again. The pause stretched to the point that the Doctor felt the need to speak.

"Kathryn—"

"Don't call me that," Scorch said, her voice steady. "I don't deserve any sort of title but what I am. What I was made for is now very, very clear. I was made to burn people, to destroy. I can't ever be anything but Scorch."

The Doctor found Scorch's hand in the dark and clenched it. "We'll find a way out Kathryn," he said, ignoring her request. "I promise. The Rahki wouldn't risk anything. Your family is still alive, and I'm going to get you out. We'll save the planet, save the universe, and I promise I will find a way to save you."

Scorch held still for a moment. "I've never had to say this to you Doctor, and I hope I never have to again." She breathed in and out once. "I don't believe you."

Scorch let go of the Doctor's hand. He heard her walk through the hole in the wall before the door to the hallway opened and closed. She didn't look back at the Doctor, who stayed sitting, grateful beyond measure that the dark hid him so well.

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor of course didn't stay long in the room. There was far too much to do, and he had to make sure Mace didn't ship Scorch off to the Rahki. Or the Krize. Especially since he had just lied to her. There had to be something he could do, even now. Some dormant programming must be taking affect, or maybe her original programming was getting damaged by having so much energy pounding inside her. All he had to do was find out what it was and fix her. Simple enough. Then she'd be back to her old self. He could do it. After all, he was the Doctor. He could do it. He had to.

Mace was coming out of one of the side rooms as the Doctor entered the main room. He tucked something into his coat before meeting the Doctor's eyes with an odd look.

"Your friend is back to work, something we need very much right now."

The Doctor didn't wait to hear any more from Mace, who was seriously grating on his nerves. He went into the side room Mace had just come from, where Scorch was working. She was sitting cross legged on the floor, a laptop balanced precariously on her knees, a headset over her ears as she typed furiously.

"Remember the all-important item?" the Doctor asked lightly. She popped the piece of gum in her mouth as she glanced up at him before getting back to work.

"Nope," she said before changing the subject. "Glad you showed. I keep coming across stuff written in Krozian rather than computer code the closer I get to the central programs. Normally a new language would be a blast, but the Rahki didn't bother to give me the language of their mortal enemies, so I'll need a translator."

The Doctor sat down next to her. "Doesn't the—"

"She's alive. Start again."

The Doctor smiled lightly at Scorch's correction. Yeah, Katie was still there. An American by any other name would still be Katie. "Doesn't TARDIS translate it directly in your head?" he asked.

"Nope," Scorch said, shaking her head. "She's smarter than that. Where or whenever she exerts her presence, she sends out temporal energy, and that is the last thing I need right now." She grabbed the microphone on her headset, speaking into it.

"Ianto, you'd better tell me that you whipped up something on that end. If there is anything like where I'm at, the planet's rapidly approaching a look similar to 9/11, and hospitals are filling with lead poison victims." She made an irritated face, took a breath, and then repeated the question in English rather than Rahki.

"Good," she said after listening to the reply. "This is one day when broken satellites are a big help. Who gets affected first?"

As she listened, the Doctor noticed that her eye-lids blinked sideways rather than up and down. He wondered when that had started, and if she had noticed. He wondered what Randalls, the man who lead her creation team, had really had time to do on Kurunathan. Had her Last Cycle been started? If so, why was she still here? Was it part of the game?

Scorch gave a relieved sigh, smiling. "Oh, I could kiss you Ianto Jones. I owe you…Oh, don't worry, I'll find some way to adequately repay you."

"Good news?" the Doctor asked. She glanced at him, a half grin on her face and her eyes sparking for the first time since he'd interrupted her video conference earlier.

"Very. I don't know why UNIT doesn't go to TORCHWOOD more often for help. Ianto and Gwen have used an…outline of sorts Toshiko and I came up with. It basically shuts off satellites en mass by blocking any and all transmissions too or from them. The stuff farthest from the source is affected first, which means the U.S. will be safe very soon."

The Doctor made a face. "Why would you make something like that?"

Scorch's face fell slightly. "Why not?" she asked with a shrug as she turned back to the screen.

The Doctor looked at the screen with her, recognizing his blunder but not apologizing. He was no longer quite as amazed at her computer skills as he had been before reading all those files back on Kurunathan. It made perfect sense, now. He wondered if he should tell her, then decided to go for the sentimental conversation option he had.

"I heard about Tosh."

The typing slowed for a second before starting with greater fervor. "It's the Rift. People die."

"World must have felt like it was falling in."

Scorch stopped and turned to look at the Doctor, pushing her headset down to make sure she could speak without distraction. "Don't start this Time Lord. Don't try using the emotion angle, not now. Not anymore. Just…just leave it, alright?" She put the headset back over her ears.

"They're very protective of you," the Doctor said, referring to TORCHWOOD.

"Friends tend to do that," Scorch answered tightly. "Now drop it and tell me what this says."

"You've got…" The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Access to the entire ship. You might as well be in the command chair."

"Yeah, and they're gonna catch me in a minute," Scorch said. "Just tell me which choice would send me to whatever they're using to send the signal."

"Science Core," the Doctor said, pointing. "That will take you to the base of it. From there you can change the signal."

"Glad you caught on," Scorch said cynically. "Ianto was kind enough to create the changes for me. I love having a solid team. I'll miss 'em once this is over."

"Going somewhere?"

"Can't go back to Cardiff. Too risky. Maybe I'll wander over to Greenland. The cold might burn off some of the excess."

"Click on that one," the Doctor said. "Atomic Reorganizer. You know, there's a planet with that name. Greenland, not Atomic Reorganizer. Some intrepid explorers had the same brilliant idea Eric the Red had. The whole thing is actually one solid ball of ice. Still, the place has settlements. A lot of shops. Mostly ice sculptures though."

"Sounds pleasant," Scorch said after a pause, her voice slightly thick. "Maybe you should pop by, make one yourself. I'm sure you'd be great at it." The screen of the computer shuffled around a bit as Scorch broke into the signal being sent, entered a few instructions, created a lockdown, and activated the whole thing by swiftly clicking enter. She gave a smug smile.

"There," she told the screen defiantly. "Come for me now, Julius."

Scorch leaned back against the wall, her shoulders slightly slumped as she let out a deep sigh. The Doctor looked at her curiously, also leaning back.

"Unless I'm mistaken," he said, "and that's not very often, you just forced the Atomic Reorganizer to reverse everything it's been doing, transfer itself to the TORCHWOOD Three Hub and UNIT, and then set it up so that even the program's designer couldn't get into the code to put it back."

"Yep."

"That means you just saved the Earth."

"Yep," Scorch said with a small sigh.

"I'd think you'd be a little more excited about it."

"Meh," she said with a shrug. "Old news. I did it at least once a week with TORCHWOOD. Gets blasé after a bit."

"You probably saved the friends you mentioned."

Scorch looked like she had an instant retort, then swallowed it and replaced it with something else. "Nah, I don't expect so. If they aren't already dead they're wishing they were. Anyway, I'm finished. No reason to stick around. Have to figure out what's next for me."

"Well. You could…"

"What?" she asked, her tone and look killing the idea as surely as her words. "Go back to traveling? TARDIS is saturated in temporal energy. The vortex is nothing but power. I go anywhere near her and I'll crack."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"How the hell should I know?" Scorch snapped, looking away.

"Language."

"Do I look like I give a damn?" she asked, purposefully using the four-letter word. "Maybe I'll walk around the world. I know enough languages, and you don't have to leave Earth to see amazing things, Doctor. I've already got a planet; I don't need any of yours." She glanced at him, then away again as though it hurt to look at him. "Besides, why should it matter to you where I go? You're leaving once this is done and everybody's sent away. Off on your travels again as always."

"Not as much fun without friends."

"Then find one."

There was a slight fizzle and a scratching sound. Scorch frowned and flipped back the cover on her manipulator. The screen was flickering.

"Extreme irritation expressed in copious amounts," she sighed, hitting it. The screen stopped flickering, but not for long. Scorch looked up at the Doctor. "Hate to ask a favor from you, but do you mind going to my rooms on TARDIS and getting my other manipulator? You know, the one I pilfered from Jak back during the American Revolution? It should be in my glass memento shelves. This one's burning out."

The Doctor looked at her for a moment, feeling like he should be seeing something but not knowing what it was. "Sure." He stood up, and his hand was on the door handle when suddenly Scorch spoke.

"How long has it been for you? Since Kurunathan."

"Three months."

"Did you—" She cut herself off and shook her head. "Ah, it's nothing. Never mind."

Scorch closed her eyes tightly as the Doctor left. She clutched the small purple crystal on the necklace that he had bought her on Kurunathan, biting her bottom lip and forcing herself not to cry. Oh, how badly she wished she could turn back time, personal time.

She stood up and stepped into the main room. A smaller, transportable screen had been brought in to replace the one she had broken earlier. Colonel Mace met her eyes with a suspicious look.

"You're certain this will work?" he asked.

"Did you do the thing I asked?"

"Yes."

Scorch nodded once. "Then this will work."

* * *

The Doctor looked curiously at the TARDIS door. Someone had stuck an envelope addressed to him on the front door. Recognizing the words as Atlantian he pulled it off and opened it, reading the note inside swiftly.

_Dear Doctor,_

_I'm going to die today._

_I knew it as soon as I found out the Rahki were coming. I knew I wasn't going to make it past today. A little disturbing when you're a teen. At least I'll put an end to the destruction._

_I'm glad I got to see you again, though I don't know how glad you were to see me again. You were right. I can never stop being Kavrin the Killer. Well, I guess really it's Scorch the Super Soldier. Not much better._

_That's why I messaged the Krize. They've worked out a way to get me, and they'll quietly put me out of commission. You won't have to wonder who I'll kill next anymore. That'll be a relief to you._

_Maybe you're glad I left. Maybe you finally had a good excuse to get rid of me. I don't know. Perhaps that's better. I mean, as long as I never know for real, I can pretend it was my choice, right?_

_I'm sorry, but I have to ask this one thing. Please, please, please, go find my family and save them. Don't let them die because I was here. Please, please, please. If you ever thought I might be more than what I am, please save them._

_Goodbye Doctor. The six months I spent with you were just…just. Thanks._

_I love you._

The Doctor looked up from the letter. "Kathryn." He stuffed the letter in his pocket as he started running.

"Kathryn!"

* * *

Back in the main room, Scorch looked at her vortex manipulator. It was slowly counting down to the end of the two hours. She would have fifteen seconds to tell the Rahki that she wasn't going to remain on the planet, and then the Krize would use their communication signal to transport her out. From there, the fight would go to space, leaving Earth and the Doctor alive.

He would understand. She knew he would. And he'd be just fine without her. Better than fine. He'd be brilliant as always. So brilliant and alive. He would live. That was all that mattered in the end.

The smaller, portable screen flickered to life, showing both Julius and Assavapisitkul.

"Phil," Scorch said bluntly, making sure she showed nothing yet. "I want you to know that your efforts over the past two hours haven't been for naught. I have decided to get off this planet. Too dangerous for them with me here."

"Finally coming home. Good for you. Turn off your vortex manipulator so we can bring you aboard."

"I didn't say I was going with you. I just said I was leaving."

She looked back down at the manipulator, hearing the numbers inside her head. _Six…five…four…_

The double doors to the room burst open, the Doctor nearly skidding out as he turned sharply towards her.

_Three._

He regained his footing and started speeding towards her. Scorch took a few steps back.

_Two._

The Doctor looked more determined than she had ever seen him.

_One._

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor crashed into Scorch, pulling her to the ground. There was a flash of light, and they landed hard on the floor of a small room inside the Krize ship. Scorch instantly threw the Doctor off of her, scrambling away crablike. The Doctor stood up quickly when Scorch suddenly hissed in pain. He looked at her in time to see her hunched over on the floor, her breathing raspy. Two Krize stood over her, one with an empty needle in their hand.

"What have you done to her?" the Doctor shouted, wanting to help but afraid to touch her until he knew what was wrong.

"It's a drug, Doctor," Julius said as he entered the room, the main command bridge visible before the door shut behind him. "Instantly lethal to anyone else, but with so much energy flowing through her, it simply takes the edge off. She'll be fine in a few moments. You may return to Earth."

"Not without her."

"Oh, just shut up," Scorch snapped as she stood, already fully recovered. "You can't do anything to stop this, Doctor. The longer I wait, the greater the chance the Rahki will get me. Just leave."

"Kathryn—"

"Don't try, Time Lord," Scorch said scathingly. "It's either this or whatever the Rahki have planned."

Scorch looked over at Julius. "It's safe for my manipulator to come off, right?"

He nodded and she pulled off her manipulator and tossed it to the Doctor. "Use that. Bright boy like you can figure it out."

"You're trying to get rid of me."

"I was perfectly happy until you showed up in my life!" she screeched at him, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I had everything mapped out, my future planned and looking just fine, and then I got thrown out of it because of you! And then when I try to leave to keep you safe and out of danger, you still follow me. I try to be you, I try to keep people I love safe, but I can't unless I die! Just let me do this one thing right! Let me _fix_ something for once!"

Scorch swallowed hard, breathing heavily. She turned looked determinedly at Julius. "When do we start?"

"Are you that eager to die?" Julius asked, unknowingly saving the Doctor from having to do the same. Scorch spread her arms in a shrug.

"Not much of a life."

The Doctor wanted to protest, but no argument would do any good. She sounded too much like him. The Doctor just looked at her steadily, reading all her emotions. Then his gaze turned curious. "Kathryn, you're smoking."

"I'm what?"

"Your shirt. It's smoking."

Scorch looked down at herself and realized that something was burning its way through her shirt. A slow realization came over her face and she quickly pulled out the end of one of the necklaces she was wearing. At the end of it was her TARDIS Key. And the Key was glowing.

"Doctor, you're going to have to explain this one."

The Doctor stepped intently towards her. "Kathryn, I need you to fight. Once it starts, fight as hard as you can, understand?"

"Once what starts?"

"The Rahki don't need the chip in your arm anymore," the Doctor said. "They just need a TARDIS Key, and they have the one they stole from me on Beriin. Taking yours off won't do any good," he said as Scorch tried. "They just needed the one link to find you first. And neither will shields," he told the Julius. "It's a temporal transport, not a physical one. You've taken just enough energy out of her to let them do that," the Doctor finished tightly.

Scorch turned pale and seemed to find it hard to breathe. "They've still caught me. I tried so hard and they still caught me." She looked at the Doctor, terrified. "I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I was going to leave quietly. It was all going to be taken care of." She swallowed hard. "Doctor, what are they going to do to me?"

The Doctor didn't answer.

Scorch looked like she was holding back tears, emotions of all sorts running through her. "Find me. Please."

There was a bright flash, and Katie was gone.

"Sir!" one of the many soldiers called out to Julius. "The signal we have on the Doctor's ship; it's gone. The Rahki took the TARDIS."

"Follow them," Julius ordered. "Having her is bad enough. We can't afford to let them have the TARDIS as well." He turned back to the Doctor. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay on the planet Doctor. We'll return your ship to you once this is finished."

"Do not keep me from this, Karzon," the Doctor said angrily, looking every inch the Last Time Lord. "They have my friend, and I am not going to sit and hope you do your job."

"This has too much to do with you, Doctor."

"Then I need to be there."

Julius looked back at the Doctor, surprisingly without fear. "The only hope you have of preventing this and saving her is to stay away. If you go anywhere near her, especially now, you will both end up dead. The known universe will end, and it can only be stopped if you stay away." He held up his hands as though relinquishing authority. "I can't stop you, so I won't try. You can do one or the other; stay away from her and let her live, or chase her and watch everything you once held dear crumble." He made certain to look the Doctor in the eye. "Choose wisely."

* * *

*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*

End Episode 11. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Love to hear from you on what you think the "Final Stage" is.

My grand ending awaits all you readers in my next, and final, episode: "And She Lived"


End file.
